Garment form



S. L. HALL GARMENT FORM June 22, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 24, 1950 'INVENTOR l; Ha 11 i ATTORNE June 22, 1954 s. L; HALL GARMENT FORM 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 24, 1950 INVENTOR Sidney LHaZIi ATTO Ys S. L. HALL GARMENT FORM June 22, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I Filed Nov. 24, 1950 INVENTOR I. Hall J ATTORN Sidne Patentecl June 22, 1954 UNITED STATE$ ATENT OF GARMENT FORM Application November 24, 1950, Serial No. 197,343

3 Claims.

This invention relates to steam and air garment finishing apparatus and more particularly to finishing forms for such apparatus especially adapted for finishing lingerie, as slips, gowns and panties of fine quality.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide simple and practical fabric-covered metal forms suitable for finishing panties of different styles, such as those including legless or short leg types and flared and long-legged panties as well.

A further object is toprovide a legless metal pantie form and suitable fabric cover for finishing brief panties, which may be readily converted into a form having special advantages for finishing garments of longer leg length.

A further object is to provide leg members for quick attachment to a legless metal form to adapt the said form for use with panties of various styles and lengths.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements, and arrangement of parts as will be exemplified in the structure to be herein described and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings in which is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a legless pantie form of the character described, supported upon a suitable base and operatively supporting a legless or brief garment;

Fig. 2 is also a perspective view showing the upper part of a form supporting a pair of long panties, the leg-supporting attachments being indicated by broken lines and the lower part of the form being broken away;

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of a metal form having leg attachments and anextensible base. This form is suitable for supporting briefs, long-legged panties or longer garments such as slips and gowns;

Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 44 of Fig. 3. showing the male member of a snap fastener; the female element of which is carried by a section of a fabric bag or form cover, not shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of the upper portion of Fig. 3 showing details of the leg member;

Fig. 7 is a vertical section taken on line 1-1 of Fig. 6.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the different figures of the drawings.

It will be understood that garment finishing apparatus of the character described and com-- prising shaped reticulate, or mesh metal structures covered by baggy and somewhat porous en velopes, is well known. In their use garments may be placed and held in suitable position upon the forms while steam or hot air is blown outwardly through the inflated fabric cover and garment. Usually forms of various shapes and sizes may be selectively supported upon a base structure which comprises means for discharging steam or hot air, or both, within the metal forms, and man i; ual or automatic devices for selectively controlling the fluid discharge.

In general, the present finishing apparatus embodies such a combination, the lingerie forms as herein shown being adapted for use with any suitable type of base. The general arrangement may be similar to that shown in United States Patent No. 2,443,557 to which reference may be had for details of construction not herein specifically described.

As shown herein, a base structure Ill supports the bottom flange i2 of a mesh metal form 14 having a porous fabric cover IS. The form it is a combination form especially adapted for finishing either short or long panties and is provided at its upper end with a cap or yoke member 11, cut away centrally to form a depressed crotch section i8, lying between a pair of spaced surfaces I9,

adapted to support the bag or cover 16, especiallywhen the latter is in an uninflated condition.

, The form it is also provided with a pair of de-- tachable leg members 20. In Fig. 1 a pair of leg-- less panties 22 is shown drawn down over a legless: form. The fabric cover 16 used with the leglessv form may be pressed lightly down into the cut-in crotch section it in order that panties having the so-called V type of crotch may be properly positioned for the pressing operation without distortion when the cover is inflated.

As this type may be easily distorted by too much inflation pressure at the crotch, snap fasteners comprising parts 24 and 26 are provided to prevent severe stretching of the garment in that area. The male fastener part 24 is suitably mounted upon the metal form It while the other half 26 of the snap is stitched to the fabric cover I l. Thus when this portion of the cover is snapped into position it produces a dimpled effect at the points where the snaps are positioned. These snaps are mounted opposite each other front and back of the form in suitable juxtaposition to the crotch section, as indicated in the drawings. The snaps minimize the ballooning of the cover, front and back, while permitting it to inflate fully laterally.

In Fig. 2 the form is furnished with the flexible upstanding leg members 26 in order properly to support the legs 23 of a pair of panties having longer leg portions. When the leg members are used the fabric cover or bag employed therewith is also provided with elongated leg portions 36 which, when uninflated, are supported by said flexible leg members and upon which the garment is drawn.

Referring to Figs. 3, 6 and 7 it will be seen that each of the leg members comprises a cover leg supporting knob 29. a flexible spring portion and a fastener member 32 by means of which the leg members may be detaohably secured upon either side of the metal form it. The saidthree sections of the leg members are suitably attached to one another, as by soldering or brazing. lhe fastener members 32 are of known con structicn and comprise an offset lug adapted for slipping through a hole 3 t disposed in a form reinforcing strip 36. At its upper end the fastener member 32 is provided with a rotatable stud having lugs id rotatable into or out of registry with matching openings 42 formed in a socket member ti secured upon the reticulate metal By turning the stud by means of the exterior wing button 3% the lugs at will be prevented from passing through the openings ii, thus firmly locking the leg member assembly to the metal form.

Each leg member is set at an angle of approximately 30 degrees with respect to the side of the form and extends upwardly a distance suitably to engage and support the closed leg portion of a form covering bag 36. The leg members are detachably fastened to the form in order that the form may be used alternatively for finishing legged or legless garments. The leg member knobs 2d are rounded and smoothly finished to offer a minimum or" frictional resistance to the movement of the fabric cover thereover while being placed upon or being removed from the form. Their purpose is to hold the legs of the fabric cover in place. They are mounted flexibly in order that toe leg members may move inwardly toward one another as the garment and/ or bag is being removed from the form. It is otherwise difficult to remove the garment as it tends to adhere to the inflated legs of the cover, thus causexcessive wear of the delicate garment fabric. ihe bag is also saved considerable wear by use of the flexible leg members.

From the foregoing, the manner of operation will be readily understood. To press a garment supported by the form, the fabric form is inflated, first with steam to smooth out and condition the material, then with air for drying and setting the finish. lhe form fills out the garment without distortion, but with enough surface pressure to press it properly. The admission and cutoff of fluid to the form is controlled by the operation of suitable foot pedals, as be, conveniently located adjacent the base of the apparatus igs. 3 and 5 discloses the garment form it provided with an adjustably extensible base flange I2. In this case the'bottom member of the form prop- 4 er is a ring or hoop member 52. The base member comprises a similar ring member 54 mounted on the annular flange l2. Mounted at suitable points in the periphery of ring 52 are studs 55. Upward extension members 56 of ring 5d, having vertical slots 58 which cooperate with the shanks of studs 55, are slidable within the form to enable a form E4 of normal length for pressing short garments to be quickly adjusted to a suitable height for the support of long garments, such as slips or gowns. Thus a single form is by means of the detachable legs and adjustable base flange rendered nearly universal in its adaptation for pressing many diiferent forms of lingerie garments.

From the foregoing it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to provide means whereby to attain the objects hereinbefore set forth, and accomplish other advantageous results.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the above invention without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matter set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. In garment finishing apparatus for lingerie, a garment shaping and finishing form comprising, in combination, an upright reticulate metal form supported upon a base member and having at the top thereof a cap member centrally cut away from front to back to form a depressed crotch portion and a pair of upwardly extending convexedly curved garment supporting surfaces located upon either side of said crotch portion, an inflatable fabric cover for the metal form supportable upon said supporting surfaces of said cap, and le supporting members attachable to said metal form adjacent the sides of said cap member and of a length to project above said garment supporting surfaces, thereby to support the fabric cover at points disposed above the supporting surfaces of said cap.

2. Garment finishing apparatus as in claim 1, in which said leg supporting members each comprises means adapted detachably to attach the member to said metal form, a smooth knob providing a support for said cover and garment and an elongated spring means extending between said attachment means and said knob and secured to said attachment means and to said knob.

3. In garment finishing apparatus as in claim 1, cooperatively disposed fastener parts respectively positioned upon the front and back of said form and the front and back of said inflatable cover to restrain front and back expansion of said cover in the region of said cooperatively disposed fastener parts.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 176,172 Eleston Apr. 18, 1876 2,284,967 Ray et al June 2,. 1942 2,342,937 Hanson Feb. 29, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS N umber Country Date 283,422 Great Britain Jan. 22, 1928 

